MVP Ryan Wade 5-10 Fr Ann Arbor Skyline: Another who played up in AAU, for a top 5 15U team. What he does best, is shoot the ball.
“Good young guard,” a coach said. “Spaced very well off the ball and knocked down the open 3 when the ball found him. Nice handle and showed the ability to get into the lane, but didn’t handle contact overly well once he got there. Good passer and played hard on the defensive end. Probably dominates his age group, but is still finding his way in regards to playing against bigger, stronger and faster kids. Is gonna be a good one though.”
Robert Johnson 5-9 Fr Northville: He had a strong Underclassman Camp at the end of July, and showed that performance was no fluke. He was all business in drills. Worked hard on D and despite age used strength and quickness for 50-50 balls. Those same attributes make it trouble for defenders when he’s going downhill, and finishes at the rim like a bigger, older guard.
Xander Okerlund 6-0 Fr Maple City Glen Lake: Showed the poise of a guard who played a grade up for 50+ games on one of state’s top 10 15U teams. Smooth handle, with a deceptive and long first step which combined present problems. Bball IQ of 140+ with how he sees the game. Knocked down open shots. His brother Oscar is a junior who played at camp, he’s 6-4 and if Xander gets that tall college coaches will be google mapping “Leelanau Peninsula.”
Zach Trent 6-1 Fr Flint Powers: He challenged Matt Beachler, now a junior at Lowell with 10 D1 offers, for one of the best shooting performances from a young player in camp history. Trent knocked down six three-pointers in the first half of his opening game, bringing above some rare camp face-guarding defense. He should get used to that kind of attention. Played the whole day on a sprained ankle so wasn’t as effective horizontally, but played over it and showed the kind of toughness that should have him ready for varsity basketball.
Tyler Welch 6-3 Fr Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central: It was a good day for brothers. Brandon and Ryan Wade both made all-camp teams, as did Nick and Tyler Welch.
“Solid and tough forward,” a coach said. “Rebounds well on both ends of the floor. Sometimes got lost out there when playing against bigger kids, but that’s to be expected for someone so young. Worked hard in drill stations and seemed to be very coachable.”
Seth Wright 6-5 Fr Constantine: From a small school known for its football success, Wright is yet another exhibit in the foolhardiness of ranking incoming freshman classes. There are lots of kids who maybe weren’t middle school AAU darlings but can really play. He has a rare combination of size, speed and shooting touch for his age.
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